The “Lie down” position is when your dog’s chest, elbows, and hind leg joints are all in contact with the ground. He then stays in that position until he is released. This command is not difficult to teach given the right conditions as it is part of a dog’s natural movement. The goal is to ask him to do it consistently by following his owner’s cue.
Why is it Important to teach a dog to lie down?
As one of the more important basic skills for your dog, the “down” command will not only keep him safe but will also encourage desirable behaviors like being calm and settled. All these, while preventing your dog from door-dashing. This cue will give him a chance to relax while being in that position for extended periods. Imagine sitting on a park bench with your dog lying down beside your feet resting from your long walk.
You should know that calm and quiet are an important part of your dog’s day too. Moreover, he learns to stay there patiently while waiting to be released. Additionally, “down” may also be a precursor to tricks like “roll over” and “go to bed”. This is why timing matters in this command.
How to Train Your Dog to Lie Down
There are 3 easy ways to train your dog to “lie down” which are as follows:
- Luring from the standing position
- Luring from the sitting position
- Capturing your dog’s natural “lie down” position
Basic Commands, hand signals, and equipment needed
- “Down” or “Lie Down“: This is a command that will bring your dog’s whole body in full contact with the floor.
- “Yes”: This cue serves as both a marker and the release from the desired behavior. Without this cue, your dog is not expected to get up from his lie-down position any time soon.
- “Good”: This verbal signal is usually paired with “girl” or “boy” as a reward or praise to encourage your dog to do more.
- Hand Signal: Hold a finger to your chest and point it upwards. In one sweeping motion, diagonally move the finger downward all the way to point down to the ground
- A collar and a leash: It doesn’t have direct participation in the actual molding of the desired behavior but will help in keeping your dog’s mind in session.
- Treats: These are your dog’s favorite snacks to be used as a lure and reward, along with a small easy-to-access waist bag.
- Clicker (optional): an effective alternative to the verbal marker “yes” which is mainly used for making clicking sounds to mark the desired behavior.
Luring Your Dog into a “Lie Down” from a Stand or Sit Position
Step 1: Show Your Dog the Treat
Hold out a treat in your hand and place it very close to your dog’s nose. This way they can smell it and will likely move closer to your hand and try to lick or even eat it.
Step 2: Lure Him with the Treat
- From stand-up position
With the treat still in your hand and your dog’s nose and mouth up against it (don’t release it yet), gently trace a diagonal line going all the way down to the ground right in between your dog’s paws. Do this move while your dog is trying to smell the treat up against your closed hand. He will follow your hand to the floor as he bends his elbows, lowering his chest to finally touch the ground, and eventually his rear end making contact with the ground too.
At the moment his chest and butt hit the floor, say “yes” to mark the action or click your clicker, then release the treat along with verbal praises of “Good girl!” or “Good boy!”
- from a sitting position
With you and your dog both in a sitting position on the floor, hold a treat in your hand and gently lead your dog’s nose down to the ground. Allow your dog to follow, smell, and even try to eat the treat off of your hand. Do not release the treat until he is fully down. Once he is completely in position, mark it with a “yes” or a click, then release the treat coupled with enthusiastic verbal praises of “good girl!” or “good boy!”
You will want your praise to be satisfyingly even-pitched so you can induce your dog to relax or stay still.
Step 3: Repeat
Repeat Steps 1 and 2 as many times as needed to refine your dog’s movements.
Step 4: Add the “Lie Down” or “Down” Command
When your dog can follow your hand faster down to the ground, you can now add the verbal cue of “down” or “lie down”. Add the command right at the beginning of the exercise.
Repeat the exercise until your dog consistently performs the cue with the command in it.
Step 5: Fading Out the Lure
Whenever your dog is already able to anticipate your command by lying down even before he sees the lure, you can now begin to fade it out by not showing it while giving the verbal cue. Do this move by hiding your hand behind your back at the start and just say “down”. As your dog lies down on his own, mark it with a “yes” or a click. And when is fully down on the floor release the treat with verbal praise.
Note: “Yes” works as a marker and at the same time a release for your dog.
Step 6: Repeat the Exercise while Varying Reward Release
Repeat the “down” sequence with faded lure until your dog responds consistently (don’t be disappointed if he doesn’t, anyway it could well just be your 2nd or 3rd day). Be patient. At this point, you can now vary on how you release the treats. As he is being rewarded, try tossing the treat away from where he has laid down to dissociate him from the food and the area where he lay.
This is to teach your dog that the command may come from anywhere at any time, and he is encouraged to respond promptly. This will work well in urgent situations where you need your dog to keep a safe stance.
Step 7: Proofing Your Dog
- Take Him Outside
Assuming that your dog already has mastered the command with reduced reliance on the treats, as well as responding well to the verbal cue, you can start training him outdoors. Keep the treats coming as he is changing environments from the living room to the yard, from the yard to the sidewalk, and from the sidewalk to the park. Remember to level up only when he is already showing consistency in his response time.
- Adding Distractions
You don’t necessarily have to distract your dog with toys or some other unpredictable event. Although, you will have to vary the release of his treats. Throw it to the side, behind him, and, or in front of him for as long as he doesn’t lose sight of it. Training outdoors already has its inherent distractions, so if he doesn’t move when you don’t release him (despite that bird that just flew right by his nose) it only means he already has a handle on the command. Don’t forget to mark and reward him every time.
- Fading Out the Treats
Depending on the bond that you have established with your dog as well as the time that you have invested in training, only you will know when to start fading out the treats altogether. We all want that desired behavior where your dog lies down on command and doesn’t get off until you tell him to. Until then, keep the treats coming.
Training from Standing vs Sitting Position
Some professional trainers would rather not teach the down command from the sitting position, because they say your dog should be used to doing “down” from standing up or walking. This is so that he learns to do it even when he is running. The idea is when your dog is walking or sprinting towards you and you say “Down!”, he can, without hesitation abruptly stop and lie down. This ability is especially important in emergencies where you need your dog to suddenly stop running and just lay low.
In any case, teaching a dog to lie down from a sit position may come in handy for non-professional dog trainers and even first-time owners, so they can easily transition into a stand if and when they are having difficulties starting from a stand-up position.
Capturing Your Dog’s Natural Down Behavior
The “capture” way of training may be as effective as the lure method, however, “capturing” takes a little more creativity. It will take more time and more patience to pull off. The capture method is especially useful when for some reason you are not able to hold your dog’s attention A clicker will always come in handy in this situation, otherwise, a treat and some verbal praise will work as well.
Step 1: Wait for Your Dog to Lie Down
With your clicker and treats ready, you can put yourself and your dog in a small room free of distractions. Try not to mind him as he walks about seeing if he has your attention. You could bring something with you to distract yourself as well as pretend that you are busy doing something else. (your iPhone perhaps?)
Step 2: Capture Your Dog’s Natural “Lie Down” Position
When your dog gets tired and lays down on his own, capture it with a click or “yes” then reward him with a treat.
Step 3: Repeat
Repeat the exercise as many times as needed until your dog can make the association between the treats and the “down” position. Your dog will eventually get around to offering a “down” to get a treat.
Step 4: Change Places
Move and train in a much larger room and observe how your dog responds. If and when you see that he is already consistent, slowly fade out the lure and allow him to anchor on the verbal command only. Again, this method might take a little longer than usual depending on the kind of dog that you have. Step up a notch every time your dog shows improvement
Read also: How to Teach Your Dog to Stay [Step-by-Step]
Lie Down command Troubleshooting
Captured “Down” Issue: My dog doesn’t want to offer me a lie-down.
- Your dog might have pent-up energy that needs to be released and is too excited to rest. Do your training after a long walk or maybe close to the end of the day when your dog is tired or more relaxed.
- Pick a softer and better place to train as your dog might not be comfortable on cold tile or some rough surface. Try doing it in the living room right on the carpet.
“My dog seems confused and won’t lie down.”
- Do not confuse “off” with “down”. Sometimes whenever the dog is on the couch and for some reason you want to get him off of it, you might use the word “get down” or “down”. Telling your dog to get down from the couch will cause him to associate it with the command and he might even wonder why you’d still want him to get down when he is already on the floor.
See also: How to Train a Dog Not to Pull on the Leash | a Step-by-Step Guide
Is Your Dog Having a Hard Time Lying Down?
At this point, it might sound strange but your dog may have some other underlying problems that you might not know of. It’s hard to imagine that your beloved dog might be sick and could be in pain. Moreover, the prone or lying-down position is a very good indicator of your dog’s physical health as it requires your dog to stretch out its body and can potentially show you some things that you would otherwise have not noticed.
The reason why we need to discuss these things is that dogs in general are happy animals (contagious to boot!). The thing is, they are very good at hiding pain and that’s why sometimes only a lie-down position can expose any hidden ailment that they might have. Here are a few possible things that might be the matter with your dog if he seems to have difficulty lying down or is having a hard time doing it:
Joint pain
- He noticeably circles more than he usually does before lying down
- Does several attempts at lying down
- You might hear some groaning as lies down
Anxiety
- Fear of thunder and lightning can pass quickly as soon as the storm ends.
- Pacing and restlessness
- Chewing up his bed or the sofa
- Shaking
- Panting
- Incessant barking
Other Possible Serious Medical Issues
Bloating
- An unusually large stomach
- Restlessness and pacing
- Vomiting, and or heaving
- Weakened stance
- The dog keeps on looking at its stomach
Pancreatitis
- Dog does the praying position with his elbows on the ground and his rear end raised in the air.
- Vomiting
- Lethargy
- Has no appetite
- May have diarrhea
These are symptoms of medical issues that you need to address by bringing your dog to the vet ASAP. The more serious ones should be treated as an emergency or your pet could be in danger. Other than that, you can also check the floor if it might also be the cause as to why your dog hesitates to stretch out.
How Long Does it Take to Train a Dog to Lie Down?
Again, with “down” as an important basic skill, your dog may be able to naturally learn it fast as it is a part of his natural movement. All it will take is for your dog to associate food with the sound of the word “down” and he will be more than willing to play the game over and over again.
What you need is consistency and the gradual leveling up of difficulty.
In order:
- Gradual fading out of the lure
- No more lure, just reward
- Throw reward elsewhere
- Very few instances of food reward as it is being replaced by consistent verbal praise, and, or other rewards such as going outside and some games.
How Many Sessions and How Long Per Session for an Adult Dog?
Do these exercises for 5 to 10 minutes each, twice a day, 3 times a week. Expect slower progress if you are only available on weekends.
Generally, it takes a dog about 4-5 weeks to learn and master a basic skill. You can peg your schedule following that time frame but don’t hesitate to make adjustments according to your dog’s willingness and pick up. Also, some breeds are predisposed to obedience school more than others, so, we recommend that you as the owner, may naturally track your dog’s progress and move on up whenever necessary.
Read also: How to Teach Your Dog to “Leave It”
Teaching a Puppy to “Lie Down”
You can start teaching your puppy to lie down at 7-8 weeks old. Indoors would be a very good place to start along with some high-value treats for more sustained attention from your pup (small pieces will do, don’t spoil him though.) You might want to do the training just right before mealtime when he is hungry.
Follow the steps in this guide and add fun and patience to it as well. As always, your puppy will love training and eating just as he would with playing games. Use a more cheerful voice as you go along and a happy smiley “good girl!” when he performs correctly. Fun works well with puppies.
How Many Sessions and How Long per Session for Your Puppy?
Your dog’s short attention span would require you to divide your sessions into three 5-minute exercises each. Do these at least twice a day. If you find that your puppy can hold out for more and he is learning fast, extend the session as desired.
Aside from before meals, try to work with your puppy when he is settled down right after playtime, or sometime in the afternoon when energy levels are just right. Not too hyper not too tired.
Follow through with the scheduled sessions observe your pup’s progress and level up when appropriate.
See also: How Do You Teach a Puppy its Name? A Step-by-Step Guide
Can I Teach an Older to Dog to Lie Down?
The answer is yes, the steps to this guide will apply too. But, it will require more time and patience from the owner as an older dog will need to unlearn old habits and start from scratch with a new one.
What About a Stubborn Dog? How Can I Teach it to Lie Down?
Before you come to any conclusion, rule out any possible medical condition or other environmental causes first. If you are sure that it is an attitude thing, what you will need are some additional patience, the same training steps in this guide, and high-value treats such as roast chicken or the ultimate favorite which is frozen liver.
Once you have his attention, train then reward. Be extra happy when he does it correctly.
How Do I Train My Dog to Lie Down Without Treats?
You can teach your dog to “lie down” without treats in any, or a combination of these three ways:
- Use his favorite toy
- By way of body movement
- An enthusiastic reward of “good girl!” or “good boy!” coupled with a tactile or touch reward.
Most dogs are more than eager to please their owners when it comes to following instructions. Please note that this is an alternate way to train aside from using treats. It’s not a solid substitute as most dogs would initially respond to food first. These methods are dependent on the level of bonding that you and your dog have.
If you are a first-time owner we recommend using treats in the beginning. Otherwise, you can immediately do the following:
Using His Favorite Toy
- Get your dog’s attention by calling his name
- Show him his favorite toy and place it right in front of him
- Say the command “down” and bring down his toy down to the floor.
- Bring your whole body down too so your dog can mimic you.
- When he responds correctly, shower him with praises like it was a great thing that he did. Dogs tend to respond to human emotions as consistently as they come.
Body Language
- Do the same sequence as you would with the toy, this time without the toy.
- As you give the command, pause a little, then lower your body with your hand all the way down to the floor with one bent knee. Go as low as you need to for your dog to follow and crouch down as well.
- Reward with plenty of verbal praise and touch.
Verbal and Touch rewards
- Do the same sequence as above without the toy and very minimal body movement
- When your dog complies, throw exciting verbal praises and rub his neck happily.